As swimming pool systems become more elaborate with the addition of separate therapeutic pools utilizing common filtration and heating systems, the maintenance of the pool becomes increasingly complex.
In a typical installation of this type, as many as four separate gate valves must be operated manually to switch the filtering and heating function from the main pool to the therapeutic pool or vice versa.
This is especially undesirable because the routine is often performed by children or at times when the owner is absent by a helpful friend who is not sufficiently familiar with the system or its controls. Aside from the possibility that proper filtering or heating operations may not be accomplished with the present systems, there is the danger of damaging the pump as a result of the inadvertent blocking of water flow through the pump if the wrong valves are closed.
Thus, a need exists for a simpler system i.e., one that is less prone to damaging the equipment as a result of operator inexperience.